How do you pronounce squamous?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈskweɪ.məs/.

Where does squamous come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

squamous

/ˈskweɪ.məs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.65 in modern English

Syllables: squa-mous
IPA: /ˈskweɪ.məs/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Covered with, made of, or resembling scales; scaly.

adj

Of or pertaining to the squamosal bone; squamosal

adj

Of or pertaining to an epithelium with cells that are wider than their height (flat and scale-like).

Example Sentences

"In the squamous heads of Scabius, Knapweed, and the elegant Jacea Pinea, and in the Scaly composure of the Oak-Rose, which some years most aboundeth."
"I might call it gigantic - tentacled - proboscidian - octopus-eyed - semi-amorphous - plastic - partly squamous and partly rugose - ugh!"
"We spread the papers on the least squamous section of the floor and lay down; the smell was not so bad at ground level."
"(And we'll never find out whether the last thought to pass through the mind of the captain of the Thresher was, "It's squamous and rugose," or simply, "It's squamous!")"

Etymology

From Middle English squamous, from Latin squāmōsus, from squāma (“scale(of a fish or reptile)”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: squamous, squāmōsus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈskweɪ.məs/
British English: /ˈskweɪ.məs/

Inflected Forms

more squamous (comparative) most squamous (superlative)

Derived Forms

adenosquamous basosquamous erythematosquamous neosquamous nonsquamous papulosquamous petrosquamous squammy squamously squamousness subsquamous tympanosquamous

Phrases

simple squamous epithelium squamous suture

Frequently Paired Words

squama cuboidal columnar

Synonyms

squamose squamulose scaled scaly scarious squamate squamated squamiferous squamoid furfuraceous squamous squarrose

Antonyms

esquamulose scaleless

Rhymes With

famous amos seamus shamus ignoramus ramus mandamus world-famous hamous